FNCCI Senior Vice President Anjan Shrestha Faces Backlash Over Open Endorsement in Election

Kathmandu. The presidents of various commodity associations are expressing dissatisfaction following a speech by Anjan Shrestha, Senior Vice President of the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI). The controversy erupted after Shrestha, while addressing the annual general meeting of the Federation of Export Entrepreneurs Nepal, openly campaigned for candidate Shiva Ghimire from the podium.

According to the FNCCI statute, Shrestha is set to automatically become the president. Commodity association leaders are concerned that his open support for a specific faction threatens to divide the federation.

 One association president present at the event stated– The person set to become president must remain neutral and lead the federation as a unified body regardless of which panel wins. What Senior Vice President Shrestha did by soliciting votes for one side at the export federation's event is highly inappropriate and controversial. 

The president further remarked that due to Anjan Shrestha's arrogance, voters are now less likely to support the Shiva Ghimire group.

In the upcoming FNCCI election, Naresh Lal Shrestha and Shiva Ghimire are competing for the commodity category. With the Naresh Lal group appearing strong, Anjan Shrestha has become aggressively involved in supporting Shiva Ghimire. However, voters are protesting his bias, fearing that such actions by an incoming president could lead to the fragmentation of the federation.

As the Naresh Lal group gains momentum, sources indicate that Anjan Shrestha has begun promising nominations and committee chairmanships to over 50 commodity and district-city association presidents to secure a win for Ghimire, despite the FNCCI president and executive committee only having the authority to nominate seven members. FNCCI President Chandra Prasad Dhakal has previously criticized Shrestha for these actions.

Furthermore, questions have been raised in executive committee meetings regarding potential legal hurdles for Shrestha's presidency, as he secured only 37 percent of the vote during his election as Senior Vice President, whereas the statute requires 51 percent.

Legal experts warn that if Shrestha continues to favor one faction and create controversy, he may face significant challenges in the future.